The Memory Remains
by Doomology
Summary: A much older Kagome is living in Present day Japan, with some new responsibilities, and without the one most key figure in her life, Inuyasha. Will she ever find him? Will he be the same man she knew? Who will keep Miroku in line?
1. Chapter 1

The Memory Remains

An Inuyasha Fan Fiction

By Ariane Douleur

All Standard Disclaimers Apply.

**Chapter 1- Dream Memory **

The forest was silent, neither animal nor plant daring to move, lest they disturb the two women standing in the clearing. At first glance, an observer would be tempted to believe the two were identical twins, but a closer inspection would reveal just how different the two were. One was dressed in loose feudal ear pants and skirt, the other in a modern-day schoolgirls skirt and shirt. Both carried bows, but neither was ready to loose their arrows. They had come for different reasons. One came from a deep-rooted love, pure and true, the other came in a mix of love tempered with hate, vengeful and arrogant. Slowly, both women set their bows aside on the ground, and stepped towards each other, closing the distance between them.

The woman wearing the modern skirt withdrew from her pocket a glittering pink orb, slightly larger than a marble, showing it to the second woman. The other woman nodded, and they stepped apart again. Eyes shut tight; she clutched the sphere close to her heart and wished with her entire being on the jewel. When she opened her eyes again the other woman was gone, and the world around her shifted so rapidly that she dropped to her knees in an attempt to make the world stay upright. Around her the trees grew younger and more dense, and blurs of color rushed around her at high speed. The only thing that appeared and didn't immediately disappear was a boy, pinned to one of the trees with an arrow, with white hair and dog's ears. At the sight of him in his enchanted sleep, the girl called out his name one last timer, her voice thick with unspoken love and sadness at her imminent parting. "Inu-yasha…" Her cry died as she gasped in shock when a loud scream rent through the air.

Loud crying jolted a much older, much more world-weary Kagome from her dreams. Sitting up in bed, she shook her head to clear it of memories of the past. Kagome rolled out of bed and walked over to her closet. Hanging from the closet door was a faded red bathrobe, which she slipped into, tying it snuggly around her waist. A quick look around the room told Kagome that she wasn't going to find her slippers, so she padded barefoot across the hall into her son's room. "Ssssssshhhhhhh… it's ok, Momma's here now, it'll all be ok…" she muttered as she sat on the small bed and took a dark-haired child into her arms. The boy buried his head in her shoulder, and Kagome could feel his hot tears through her bathrobe. "It was the man again, momma. The puppy-dog man. He was stuck to the tree momma, he was crying." The small boy gushed through hic-cups as he looked up at Kagome.

Immediately the urge to rush to the old well to save Inuyasha again welled up inside Kagome, but she pushed it down and placed a kiss on her son's forehead. "Yasha, it's ok, it was just a dream. Do you want me to sit with you until you fall asleep?" She asked, smoothing the boy's hair out. He nodded beneath her hand, then ordered her to sing him a lullaby. Kagome smiled at her son and began to sing a song her mother had sung to her when she had troubled dreams. When the boy was asleep Kagome fixed the covers around him and slipped softly from the room.

Silently Kagome went down the stairs, through the kitchen, where she pulled on a heavy, woolen cloak over her bathrobe, and outside, into the shrine courtyard. When her grandfather had died her mother had taken Souta with her when she moved into the city apartment, leaving Kagome to run and care for the shrine herself. Before she knew what she was doing, she found herself climbing down the ladder she had put in the well for easy access to the bottom. She reached the bottom, and shivered. Slowly, she raised her hands before her. With a burst of concentration and power, her hands glowed with a pink light, which traveled up her arms, down her body, and pooled out around her feet, making the ground shimmer with an unnatural light, but nothing happened. A sigh escaped Kagome, she dropped her concentration, and the light faded. She slumped against the wall to sit, leaning against the wall of the well, saddened, but not surprised, by her inability to get back to the feudal era.

A few moments later a voice startled her from her thoughts. "I heard Yasha crying, and figured I'd find you down here once he settled down." The voice's owner jumped down into the well. Kagome turned her head to get a better view of the man and smiled up at him. "He had a bad dream. Again." She said softly. As he moved to sit next to her and slip a comforting arm around her shoulders, he considered her words. "I take it it was the dream about Inuyasha again, yes?" he paused before continuing. "You had one as well Kagome, did you not? He is gone. You may meet him again, if it is fated. But you cannot continue this Kagome. You are becoming far too old before your time." He lapsed back into silence. Kagome thought for some time on his words, then stood. "You're right, of course, I have to try and live my life without dwelling on the past. Inuyasha would want me to do that much. Besides, I have to be strong for our little Yasha." She smiled at the man again, this smile brighter than the previous, and began to climb up the ladder. Silently, the man followed her closely ad began to climb after her.

Halfway up the ladder, Kagome felt a familiar weight settle on her backside. With a startled yip, she turned and to bonk the top of her companion's head with a shout of "Lecher! Can't you keep your hands to yourself for once!" startling the man beneath her so badly he toppled from the ladder, landing on his bottom. Kagome finished her climb to the top of the well before turning around to lecture him again. "I swear Miroku, if you don't stop your lecherous behavior, and Yasha picks up on it, I will knock you back to the feudal ear!" She laughed as she helped the monk up the last few steps of the ladder, him laughing with her. Together they walked back to the main house, and went into the kitchen where they spent the rest of the night drinking tea and reminiscing.


	2. Shopping Trip

The Memory Remains

An Inuyasha Fan Fiction

By Ariane Douleur

All Standard Disclaimers Apply.

**Chapter Two- Shopping Trip!**

"Yasha! C'mon! Time to go to school!" Kagome shouted up the stairs as she danced around the kitchen, fixing box lunches for everyone. A few seconds later, Yasha was clammoring down the stairs, his white school shirt untucked and wrinkeled, with his bookbag hanging open as he dragged it along behind him. "Awright Mama! I'm ready ta go!" He proclaimed. Kagome turned from her cooking to look at him. "So I see, come here and let me fix your shirt, ok?" Yasha bounced over to her, leaving his bag behind, and she quickly set his shirt right. "There you go, so handsome!" she announced. "Why don't you bring me your bag, then go get Miroku for me? I think he's outside by the God Tree." The boy's eyes widened, and a moment later he thrust his book bag at Kagome and ran out the door.

Kagome sighed as he took off outside, everyday he looked more and more like his father. She turned back towards the counter, and finished making lunches. "Kagome? Yasha said you needed me?" Miroku called from the doorway. Kagome smiled, and turned to face the monk. "I was hoping you could do me a favor? Would you mind walking Yasha to school? I have to run some errands." "Of course! Sango can come with us, the fresh air will be good for her, and I imagine she'll enjoy getting outside." Kagome smiled wider. She had known that Miroku would argee to take Yasha, she had been counting on it. "Thank you! Tell Sango I say thank you too! I made everybody lunches, Yasha's is in his bag, the rest are in the fridge. I have to go, I should be back in time to get Yasha from school." Kagome rushed around, grabbing her purse, shoes, and car keys. "BYE!" she called as she ran out the door.

_Alright,_ Kagome thought as she started her car. _ The mall first, I have to get a shower present for Sango, then I have to pick up the shrine supplies, and then the grocery store. _ Kagome ticked off different ideas of what to get for Sango, finally deciding to just buy whatever caught her fancy. Suprisingly, it didn't take very long to find a parking spot, and soon Kagome was running around the mall from store to store. Finally, she emerged, two hours later, pushing a carrige with a large box propped on top of a pile of other boxes. Kagome pushed it out to her car, popped the trunk, and turned to move the boxes into the trunk, and promptly bust out laughing at the tettering tower. "Oh! I hope Sango likes all of this!" _ I wish Inuyasha were here to celebrate with us... _ her mind appended. Quickly she pushed the thought from her mind. "I promised I would move on. I have to at least try!" she reminded herself. Kagome shook her head, pulled down the trunk door, and got into the car.

The drive to the shrine supply dealer was short, and Kagome amused herself by singing along with the radio. It wasn't long before she pulled into the lot, the scuzzy building rising infront of her. She had always hated this place, but there was no other place to get the right candles and scrolls for the shrine. For a minute Kagome simply sat in her car, staring at the building, until she worked up the courage to get out of her car and go inside. The building was dark, and just as shabby as it had been the last time she had come to pick up supplies. Spiderwebs hung thick in every corner, and the floor creaked in protest even at Kagome's slight weight. Carefully, Kagome picked a path down the hall, the stairs and down to the basement floor.

"Hello? Is there anybody here? I'm here to pick up some supplies for a shrine?" Kagome called into the darkness of the basement store. Dreading going into the darkness, Kagome found herself focusing her power to the palm of her hand, waiting for something to jump out from the shadows. And, sure enough, a face popped up out of the gloom, startling Kagome. "Sarrie, Missy, I was nappin', I dadn't meana statle ya." The man put a hand out, and flipped the light switch on. "Nah then, whatcha say you was pickan' up?" He shuffled back, moving between rows of boxes. "I'm picking up the candles and scrolls for a shrine, they should be under 'Higurashi'." Kagome told him as she stepped into the light. "Higurashi, Higurashi, Higurashi..." The man mumbeled as he looked at the tops of the boxes. "Higu- Ahha! 'ere ya go!" he proclaimed, pulling a medium sized box off the top of one of the piles. Kagome handed him a small envelop, and took the box from him. She thanked him quickly, and practically ran up the stairs and back to her car.

Kagome shoved the box into what little space was left in the trunk, and took off. She was still shivering when she got into the grocery store. Slowly, she dragged herself out of the car, grabbed a cart, and made her way into the store. _ Come on, Kagome! You made it this far, all you have left is to grab your groceries, and pick Yasha up_ she chided herself. "Let's see. I need rice, fish, bread, milk, juice, fruit, ice cream, and ramen." Kagome ticked off each item off on her fingers as she listed them off.

Kagome walked up and down the aisles, making sure she didn't forget anything. Gradually, her shopping cart began to fill up. Sure she had everything she needed, Kagome headed towards the checkout, only to realize when she reached the check out that she had forgotten the ramen for Yasha. "UGH! How could I forget the Ramen?" Slowly, Kagome trudged back to the soup aisle. It took Kagome a moment to spot the instant soups, on the bottom shelf. There were two boxes of thirty left, one beef, one onion. Kagome glanced up and down the aisle, made sure no one was around, and lunged forward.

Just as she reached for the soup, a hand landed on top of hers, and she was suprised to find that the first thing that came to mind was claws. Determined, she wretched her hand from the other, and grabbed the box of soups. "Look, I'm sorry about this, but my son doesn't eat dinner unless it includes a bowl of ramen, and I don't have anymore. Please?" She asked as she clutched the box of soups to her chest, straightening to stand. Kagome looked up at the man standing across from her, right into his eyes, muttered "Oh God! Yasha..." and promptly fainted.

Standing across from her, in tight blue jeans, a baggy red t-shirt and a boston red sox baseball cap, golden eyes flashing, he caught her as she went down. His first reaction was to take the ramen and go. He was _very_ possesive of his ramen, but... There was something about her that stopped him. She reminded him of... he closed his eyes for a moment, and sniffed her. She smelled almost like Kikyo. Looked almost like her too. He sighed. Damn her, but he couldn't just leave her here and beat feet with the ramen. Inuyasha sighed and grabbed her purse, searching for a wallet, which he quickly found. "Well, Mrs. Higurashi, I guess you'll be getting these after all." Gently, he swung her around, manuvering her so she was riding piggyback, then grabbed the ramen. Slowly, so as no to jostle her, he made his way to the register, paid for the ramen, and began the treck towards her address, hoping there would be someone to take care of her when he got there.


End file.
